Amortentia
by Jaydrabbles
Summary: Harry Potter has defeated Lord Voldemort, Hogwarts has been restored, and the previous seventh years have been offered to come back for an eighth year. Harry has come to terms with liking one Draco Malfoy, but how does he handle it when Draco's memories have been altered by a potion and the Malfoy Heir believes he and Harry are together?
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so it's not that bad. Harry argued with himself. It was a simple potion they had to brew, just this once and all would be well. Harry Potter, The-Bloody-Boy-Who-Lived-Twice, was in internal conflict with himself. He had been late to Advanced Potions due to an oversleeping issue he would really need to confront, but now was not the time. Because now, there was a bigger issue at hand. Snape was glaring leeringly at his only late student, who has yet to even realize Snape's glare. Oh no, that was another thing on Harry's Deal With Later list. His current problem was that there was only one seat left, and said seat was next to one Draco Bloody Malfoy. The blonde was laughing at something one of his Slytherin friends had said, and was completely unaware of Harry's staring.

"I'm glad you could join us, Potter." Snape drawled once he realized Harry wasn't going to snap out of his daze anytime soon. Harry's eyes snapped to his Professor, who he still couldn't believe was alive-and because of his quick thinking, nonetheless. Of course, not much changed in their actions towards each other. Snape is and always will be a git to Harry, even if Snape had underlying meanings behind his cruelness.

"Five points from Gryffindor. And sit before I decide to deduct more." He sneered, which caused Harry to quickly make his way to his seat next to Malfoy, who seemed too amused at Harry's predicament. At least, until he realized he would be working with Harry on a potion. The horror that came on Malfoy's face in realization almost made Harry snicker. Almost.

"Please do take note of who you are sitting next to, because they will be your partner for this class for the rest of the year." Snape stated in a slow manner, which arose many protests around the room. Blaise was glaring at Neville, who simply looked miserable. He had no other choice than to sit with either Malfoy or Zabini, and Zabini had seemed to be the best bet. But oh, how Neville had been wrong. Pansy and Hermione were bickering about who would be the one to actually do the work, neither wanting the other to do their work for them and have the risk of sabotage hanging over them. There were a few pairs of Slytherins who seemed pleased. Then there was Draco and Harry. Draco was outraged, being stuck with incompetent Potter for an entire year as a potions partner. He'd get a Dreadful for sure. However, Harry was absolutely silent. That had confused Snape the most. He figured the hot headed Gryffindor would be pulling his hair out at the idea of being anywhere near his godson for a whole school year-but he simply remained quiet.

"Cease your irrational outbursts at once. I will not change my mind, you are not to trade partners." Snape stated with a finality that had everyone shutting up. He glanced around the room before seeming satisfied.

"Turn to page 265." He demanded, tapping the board with his wand and neat, white writing appeared on it.

"Today, we will be brewing a weaker version of the love potion known as Amortentia." Many murmurs erupted around the room, causing Snape to sneer. One hand shot up.

"But Professor, isn't Amortentia illegal?" Hermione asked, not flinching when Snape turned his glaring into her.

"Yes it is, Granger. However, weaker love potions are not illegal. The Weasley twins sell many of those, if I do recall correctly." Snape drawled, and Hermione blushed at her mistake. Hermione began scribbling furious, her head down low.

"Now that we've gotten past all of the unnecessary questions, the ingredients and instructions are on the board. You will be testing these potions, so you better make sure you do them correctly. The potion will be effective for an hour. Begin."

All of the students wrote down the ingredients and instructions quickly, then began to bicker about who would be brewing and who would be drinking. Harry glanced over at Malfoy and sighed dejectedly.

"I'll get the ingredients." He muttered, knowing there was no point in arguing with his nemesis over who did what. Harry managed to find the ingredients quickly, despite the other wizards and witches in his way. He came back with them all in hand, placing them onto the table as he sat down.

"Potter, what has gotten into you today? You're like a house elf." Malfoy sneered, but Harry raised an eyebrow up at his potions partner in slight amusement.

"I'm sure you'd like that, Malfoy, but I'd rather get this over with than argue about it. We both know the outcome if we argue-I get house points taken away, my temper blows out of control, and you still get the job." Harry replied, grabbing the pearls and easily crushing them into dust.

Malfoy gaped at his potions partner for a moment, although he would argue that he stared incredulously, because Malfoy's do not gape. The two fell into a quiet lull of chopping, crushing, and stirring. Harry's nerves continued to grow on edge, as he was unsure of how his drinking the potion would go. He had time to think over the summer at the Dursley's, and he had quickly discovered reasons behind his obsession with Malfoy. The bloke was hot. And he was very much attracted to him. As he thought about it, he had continued to discover that he not only thought he was hot, but witty and willing to hold his own.

"-er. Potter!" Malfoy snapped, pulling Harry from his thoughts. "What?" He muttered, unable to meet his rivals eye and keep his blush down at the same time. "Drop the sliced bat wings in." He ground out quietly, and Harry quickly did as told. Malfoy stirred the potion four times clockwise, and the potion turned a pleasant pearl color. Malfoy looked satisfied, while Harry simple looked sick. He was terrified, because he knew if he took the potion, he'd be made fun of the rest of the year. He wouldn't mind, if he wasn't in love with the bloody git.

Harry watched as Snape nodded at their potion, Malfoy ladled it into a flask, and proceeded to hand it to Harry. Harry inhaled a shaky breath, and downed the potion. He winced at the taste, but at least the smell was pleasant. Pine, magic, a hint of honey, and cinnamon. All things associated with Draco Malfoy. He glanced at the man of his infatuation, curious that he wasn't feeling any different than normal. He just felt the same longing for the pale Slytherin next to him.

"Well, Potter?" He sneered, and Harry shrugged. "Nothing." He muttered, and Malfoy looked positively pissed. "Nothing? You must have screwed it up. I did everything perfectly." He stated angrily, and Snape gave Harry a curious look. The only student he would know to read the introductions of each chapter would be Granger, and she was currently too infatuated with Blaise Zabini to pick up on her friend's dilemma. The potion had not worked on Harry Potter, meaning one thing.

He was already in love with Draco Malfoy. 


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone had cleaned their stations up once the amortentia had worn off, every pair of partners uncomfortable with each other. Snape watched with mild distaste as the students trickled out, practically immune to the awkwardness this chapter in the book would bring upon his students.

"Ah, not you Mr. Potter. I must speak with you." He spoke quietly as Harry tried to sneak past Draco Malfoy and his friends. Harry cringed, and reluctantly stood in his place. He watched as the last few students left the potions classroom, dreading whatever it was Snape wished to speak with him about.

"Yes sir?" He asked, turning to look at the greasy man. Snape looked at him for a moment, sighing softly as he shook his head.

"Harry Potter, the boy in love with a former death eater. How... amusing." He sneered, and Harry's face grew pale. He stuttered, unable to speak for a moment.

"You will do well to take care of my godson, or I will not hesitate to harm you. You may by Lily's son, but my godson is important to me." Snape glowered, throwing Harry through a loop. It almost sounded like Snape was giving his consent.

"Godson?" He mumbled out, unsure of what else to say. Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long sigh.

"I'm civil to you for once, and you can only ask stupid questions. Yes, Draco is my godson. Do take care of him." He stated, and for once Harry realized how tired Snape looked. He seemed worn down and broken. A pregnant silence filled the room, for Harry didn't know what to say, how to feel. Snape had never been civil to him, even after he had discovered his underlying reasons for helping Harry throughout the years.

"Professor, can I ask how you knew?" Harry finally asked, causing Snape to smirk.

"Read the introduction to the chapter, and I'll speak with you tomorrow." Was Snape's only response, and it was obvious the conversation was over. Harry slipped out of the room quickly, pausing to glance around the dungeons for a moment. He could've made this his home, his first year. Harry Potter, Slytherin and savior of the wizard one world. Boy, that one would throw them through a loop. He possibly could've gotten Snape to like him a bit sooner, if this could be considered 'like'. It was more of a toleration. Harry continued on to Transfiguration, his mind muddled with thoughts.

△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛

Harry Potter had decided-It was for the best he had not shaken Draco Malfoy's hand and been placed into Slytherin. Too many things in his life that were important to him now wouldn't have happened, and he was positive this was the better path. He had come to the decision in Defense Against the Dark Arts, when they were reviewing patronus. Many, including himself, were shocked to see his patronus had changed to a ferret. He had almost snorted at the irony. Malfoy's had been perfect though, considering his title as Slytherin Prince. His patronus was a medium sized snake, a snake that seemed familiar to Harry. He had been thinking back to the snake, and where he'd seen it from, and had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn't remembered walking to lunch or even beginning to fill his plate with food.

"-rry?"

"Harry!"

Harry looked up to find his friends staring at him concernedly, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." He murmured, and appeased everyone. Everyone except Hermione.

"Snape was a downright git to make everyone take a love potion, huh?" Ron stated, completely unaware of the calculating look Hermione was blatantly giving Harry.

"Yeah." Harry replied quietly, eating his food as an excuse for his lack of communication. Once he was finished, he left the group who was still chatting animatedly. He slipped into the common room, pulling out his potions book. Harry flipped through the pages before finally landing on the amortentia chapter. The introduction was a simple paragraph, seeming harmless enough if he didn't read it. But Snape had told him to, and curiosity would eat at him if he put it off.

Amortentia, a powerful and often illegal potion, can do amazing things. There are many weak versions sold in the wizarding world, but anything too powerful is a danger and not found anywhere but with a master of potions. Amortentia smells like the most calming and personal things of a person, and the smells are often associated with the person the drinker in love with. The person giving the potion to the intended target will be the object of infatuation, but if the target offers it to someone else unknowingly, the target will become the object of infatuation. If someone is in love with the person giving them the amortentia, the potion's properties will be bill and void because the target already has feelings for said person.

Harry stared at the introduction in horror. He had no idea an introduction to a potions chapter could screw his life up so much. He groaned, burying himself into the seat he was in. He was thankful Hermione hadn't noticed anything, because she has most likely read the introduction. But Malfoy, Merlin, Malfoy has probably read it too. And if he hasn't, he will to figure out why the potion wouldn't work today. Now he was going kill Harry, and Harry would do nothing to stop him. Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived-twice-only-to-die-at-the-hands-of-his-crush.

△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛

Draco Malfoy was angered. He had an incompetent partner, who managed to mess up a potion, and ruin his day. Stupid Harry Potter, had to go and ruin his one chance of seeing him fall in love with himself. Draco wanted it so badly, wanted more than dreams. But no, Harry bloody Potter can't make a potion to save his life. That's okay, Draco would figure out what went wrong, and he'd talk his godfather into telling Potter that they needed to 'redo' the potion. Then Draco would get Harry to fall in love with him, at least for an hour. Oh, how he wished it would be longer than an hour.

Harry Potter would be the death of him.

△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛

Snape was startled out of his dozing to the sound of the portrait to his private quarters being slammed. He grabbed his wand, but immediately put it back down once he saw it was only his godson.

"Uncle Sev, do you have any extra copies of this years potions book?" He asked sourly, and Snape was bemused at how wound up Draco is because of this whole ordeal.

"I'm afraid not, Draco. And do learn not to slam the portrait, Padfoot doesn't appreciate it. He won't stop moaning and groaning once you're gone." Snape replied, although he knew it'd go in one ear and out the other as it always did.

Draco tapped his foot impatiently, and Snape shook his head to hide the smirk threatening to appear.

"I'm afraid not, Draco. Why do you need one?" He asked, and Draco opened up to a familiar page. 265.

"There's no introduction paragraph. The company has managed to screw up in one book, and just my luck I get it."

Snape sighed softly.

"I'm afraid you'll just have to get one at the next Hogsmeade trip, if they're in stock anywhere." Snape replied. Draco groaned.

"That's almost a month away! I can't wait that long, I need to know what Potter did to mess the potion up and there's no indications anywhere in the chapter and I've read it five times today!" Draco stated, and Snape raised an eyebrow. With an intelligent murmur, Draco turned and left his quarters.

"Harry Potter, you better know what you're getting yourself into. Draco gets more and more like his mother everyday." He stated quietly, a small smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry Potter wasn't sure how he had managed to find himself in Professor Snape's private quarters. Harry wasn't sure of anything at this point. He had just needed to get away from Hermione, who kept pestering him about what had happened in potions. She had caught on that something was wrong, but was clueless past that as far as Harry was aware. He had gone down to the dungeons without really thinking about it, he had just wanted to get away from everything for a while and the dungeons would be the last place checked.

Harry walked down the halls aimlessly, passing the potions room without batting an eyelash. He hadn't been this far into the dungeons since his second year, but at this point curiosity took over any rational thought. And that's how he managed to find himself at a portrait of a dog, a large black grim.

"Padfoot?" He whispered, jumping slightly when the dog grinned and the portrait opened. He peeked his head into the room, his conservative Slytherin swearing at him for being so stupid and entering the unknown so recklessly, while his Gryffindor side encouraged to no end. He stepped into the room cautiously, the portrait quietly swinging shut behind him. The moment he stepped into the living room/kitchen area, he regret with every fiber of his being that he had listened to his Gryffindor side so easily.

"What, are you doing in my private quarters, Potter?" Snape asked sourly, although it lacked its usual malice.

And that, is how he had somehow managed to end up in Professor Snape's quarters, and was drinking tea that was probably laced with poison. It had been quiet for quite some time, due to Harry's bafflement.

"Professor, h-how do you know who Padfoot is?" He asked quietly, and Snape sighed softly.

"While it may come as a shock to you, Sirius Black had been my lover for years. His death hit me as hard as it hit you, Potter." He murmured, and Harry gaped at the man before him. Why hadn't Sirius told him? Granted, Harry wasn't and hadn't ever really ever been on good terms with Snape, so he probably wouldn't have taken this news so easily if it had been told to him at a younger age.

"It has been thought that I was in love with your mother, but that's not the case. Lily was like a sister to me, so I see you as a nephew. Not to mention my lover was your godson. You might ask why I treated you so badly, if that was the case. It wasn't exactly my choice." He stated wryly, and Harry felt light headed from all the information given to him.

"Dumbledore felt that if you knew of my familial liking to you, you'd want to live with me. And I'm sure you would, and I would've liked that. But he was determined to keep you at the Dursley's." He murmured, causing Harry to grow angry. Dumbledore. It was always Dumbledore. He let his head fall to the table with a loud thud, and Snape watched him quietly.

"Why was Dumbledore so intent on my childhood being ruined?" He asked quietly, surprising Snape. The anger was still there, but it's not like he could do anything about it. Dumbledore was dead, and he was a legal adult. His childhood happened, and he turned out mostly alright. He should get over it. But he couldn't.

"Harry," The sound of his first name coming from his professor startled him. He had never been called just Harry by Snape. It was always Mr. Potter or Harry Potter. Never Harry. "I don't think that was Dumbledore's intention. He was a strong believer in the greater good, and thought the sacrifice of love in your childhood was the best option when it came to protecting you from Voldemort." He stated softly, trying to help Harry understand it from Dumbledore's view. Harry thought about it for a minute before nodding.

"I think I understand what you're saying, but it doesn't mean it hurts any less." He replied, causing Snape to bite his lip. He knew Harry had a bad childhood, but never knew the extent of the severity of it. He suddenly wished he would've taken Harry in, forgoing Dumbledore's orders. This boy needed love in his life, and he would do his best to give him what he could now. He would be his father figure.

"Harry, I have neglected you most of your life and been intentionally cruel in most cases. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I will try and be a father figure to you from now on. It will be awkward for the both of us, and much of a learning experience, but I think with effort on both sides we will succeed." Snape offered, talking slowly as he was unsure of how to put it. Harry blinked, barely processing the offer. He stared at Snape for a moment, a blank slate look adorned on his features. Snape stared back, looking more sure than he felt.

Suddenly, a small grin graced his features. "If you're willing to be the father figure of The-Boy-Who-Lived-Twice, who turned out to be gay for a certain Draco Malfoy, then I'm willing to accept." He replied, and a small smirk made its way on Snape's lips.

"Of course." He responded, and the atmosphere was immensely relaxed. A new bond had formed between Professor and Student, a familial bond one would not expect.

Harry was surprised at how well the day was turning out. He had thought he'd wake up sour, and end up in the bed the same way. But after a few questions from Hermione and Ron at dinner, they were easily appeased thanks to his new good mood. He was elated that Snape wanted to drop the anger towards each other, and over the moon he wanted to be his father figure. Granted, Snape was right. It would take some getting used to, for everyone. He could just imagine all the Slytherin's falling off their seats in potions when he and Snape act civil towards each other for the first time. Well, more like the whole class would. Speaking of which, he should really tell his friends. They were sitting in the common room, chatting animatedly between each other-unaware Harry had spaced out.

"Ron, Hermione? I have something important to tell you." He stated abruptly, but quietly. He didn't need the whole common room hearing them. He put up a silence charm around them for good measure.

"Professor Snape and I were talking earlier. We ended up being civil to each other, have been since this school year has started. He's decided to he my father figure and I've accepted." He fumbled out bluntly. Hermione stared at him thoughtfully for a moment as Ron gaped at him.

"Okay." Hermione replied, surprisingly not questioning anything.

"Okay? What do you bloody well mean okay?! Snape?! As Harry's father figure?! The slimy git will kill Harry!" Ron spluttered, and Hermione glared at her boyfriend, effectively shutting him up.

"Harry made the decision. You are his best friend. Either accept the decision and support him, or give your spot in his life to someone who will." She stated quietly, although her tone was deadly. Ron nodded meekly, and the girl marched.

"Mate, what did you do to make her so pissed?" Harry asked bemusedly.

"I dunno." Ron groaned, wondering how many galleons he'd be spending in flowers and chocolates this time around.

 **A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and follows! I hope you're enjoying the story**


	4. Chapter 4

The day was shorter than it seemed. The day dragged on and on, and Draco was positive that it would never end. The white-blond haired male was sitting on his bed, brooding as his eyes skimmed over his Amortentia chapter for the umpteenth time. It was Sunday, the day before Monday. He needed it to be Monday. Monday, he could redo the Amortentia potion properly with Harry Potter, and get an hour of pure happiness. He needed that hour. This time he would make sure Potter did everything right.

"Hey Draco-" Blaise had suddenly appeared in their room, but faltered at the sight of his friend brooding. He sighed, closing the door and crossing his arms.

"Brooding is unbecoming of a Malfoy." He stated matter-of-factly, causing Draco to look up.

"That's why I'm not." He retorted back, glaring at his friend. The glare had no effect, hasn't for years. He waved him off, sitting on the bed next to Draco. He watched as the taller male turned his attention back to the book. Blaise chuckled, shaking his head amusedly.

"If you keep staring at that book, you're going to burn holes through it." He mused, watching as it went in one ear and out the other. He sighed, tapping the bed with his fingers in a random rhythm before quickly jerking the book out of Draco's hands. Draco let out a noise in between a squeak and a growl, causing Blaise to pause. The taller boy managed to snatch the book back, causing the dark skinned male to huff.

"Draco, let's go to hogsmeade. We're of age, and aloud to leave the school whenever we'd like on weekends. Stop staring at a book that won't give you answers, and come enjoy yourself." Blaise argued with a glare, causing Draco to groan. He didn't need to go out and enjoy himself, he needed answers. Answers. He jerked up, a bright smile on his face.

"Answers!" He shouted, scaring Blaise out of his glare. He ran out of the room, causing the dark skinned boy to sigh.

"I'll never understand Malfoys." He grumbled, glancing over to the abandoned book.

"What the hell is he searching for anyway?" He commented to himself, before deciding not to invest. It was never good to get mixed up in something Draco was this determined about.

△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛

Hermione was in the library, her nose stuck in a book. There had only been a week of school, but it was a custom of hers to stay ahead in all her classes. She was peacefully reading, minding her own business when a little dove origami landed on the table next to her. An eyebrow rose at the seemingly harmless sheet of parchment, and she opened it with caution. The origami seemed familiar, but she couldn't place where she had seen the style before. Once the parchment was unfolded, she relaxed considerably at the sight of a note.

Dear Hermione,

I know we haven't had the best history, and I'm not the nicest person. You could say I don't deserve your help, and you'd be right. But I am desperate, and need your help. Please come to the Room of Requirement after dinner, I need to speak to you privately. You're the only one I know that would be able to help me.

DM

Hermione blinked as she read the signature, her body tending up. This could be a trap. But would Draco Malfoy really make himself seem desperate to get the upper hand against a Muggleborn? No. she sighed, glancing at the clock in the library. Dinner would begin shortly.

△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛

Hermione was nervous. She had been in the Room of Requirement for fifteen minutes, and there was still no sign of Draco. She was beginning to question her reasons for being there, when the door finally opened. She sighed, but kept her alert on. She still didn't trust the pure blood, no matter how desperate he was. He stood there for a moment, as if unsure what to do now that his answer was directly in front of him. No, not his answer. The key to his answer.

"What did you want?" Hermione asked, tired of the awkward silence.

"Why would an Amortentia potion not work?" He blurted out, and her eyes narrowed. She stared at him in thought before the sudden realization dawned on her.

"Harry drank the Amortentia you gave him, and it had no effect." She stated. Draco was surprised that the muggleborn guessed correctly, but he had to begrudgingly admit she rivaled even him academically. Perhaps there was more to the witch than he had first thought. Reluctantly, Draco nodded.

"Malfoy, how dense can you be? Have you not read the introduction to the Amortentia chapter?" She asked, rolling her eyes. Draco scowled, biting his lip so he wouldn't be tempted to say something snarky back.

"No, Granger. Every Advanced Potion's book I get my hands on has no introduction." He grinds out. Hermione' eyebrows raise up at the prospect of that, and she smiles.

"It seems someone's hexed you. You can't read the introduction. Someone definitely doesn't want you to know why the potion didn't work, and I think I know just who that someone is." She murmured, more to herself than Draco. Draco tapped his foot impatiently, the urge to huff growing stronger.

"Well? Do you know why it didn't work?" He asked, glaring at the witch with slight irritation.

"Of course." She replied, and Draco mentally squealed.

"But that doesn't mean I'll tell you." Draco's eyes narrowed and he scowled.

"Granger, I am not about to deal with this. You will tell me, or I will resort to asking Harry Bloody Potter myself. At wand point if I have to." He snarled. Hermione's eyes grew dangerously dark, and suddenly Draco felt the urge to back away from the Gryffindor.

"You will do no such thing. Leave Harry out of this. I'm not going to hurt Harry just so you can know how your precious potion messed up." She almost shouted, barely keeping her composure. Draco dropped to his knees, a numbness enveloping his body. That's it. Hermione Granger was his last resort. Of course he'd never hold Harry at gun point, just to get an hour of no fighting with his love. He couldn't make Harry hate him more than he already does.

"Please... I just need-"

"What, you need what Malfoy?" Hermione cut off, glaring at him angrily. He could feel the waves of hatred seeping from the girl, and he couldn't find it in himself to think she was wrong for hating him. Draco deserved it.

"I need to know why I can't get him to love me back." He sobbed, his face falling into his hands.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, it's been forever since I updated this but I finally got around to it. I hope you all enjoy this one!**

Hermione was conflicted. She had a sobbing man in front of her, whom she had punched a few years prior. It wouldn't be proper to comfort him, considering she was simply a 'mudblood'.

She did so anyway.

The girl bent down to the mess of a man, gently running her hand through his hair and rubbing his back.

"Draco, don't fret. I'll help."

She murmured, and he finally looked up. The male sniffled, hurriedly wiping the remains of his breakdown. He looked at her, trying to piece himself back together now that he had hope.

"You will?" He asked softly, trying to feign indifference. But they both knew he was hopeful. Hermione smirked slightly.

"Of course. But when have we ever made anything easy for each other?" She questioned, causing Draco to laugh. His laughs were light and airy, surprising Hermione. Maybe they hadn't given each other a proper chance when they first met.

"It seems there's a Slytherin streak in you." He mused, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"More than you will ever know.." She replied, smirking softly. △⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛

 **△⃒⃘** **͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛**

Draco was nervous. Every person looked accusing to him, and the walls seemed to whisper,

"It's all your fault.

Your fault.

Your fault." The dungeons were his home, but right now they looked like the gates of hell.

Just go. It'll be okay.

No, maybe I should wait.

]Hermione said-

Who cares what Hermione said?

You do.

Right.

Draco stepped into the Potions classroom, late for the first time. He had simply meant to be the last one in, but arguing with himself had caused him to be late. Hermione glared at him, but not for the normal reasons. She glared because he was throwing off the plan. All because he was nervous.

Draco sat next to Harry, who was in a bad mood. He had hoped to avoid his potions partner, because Draco was the last person he needed to see right now. He had probably already read the introduction, and therefore knew why the Amortentia hadn't worked.

Draco was nervous, and slightly scared to be around his potions partner. Hermione had told him to request a truce between them. The first step, she said. Step two. Well, that would follow later. But much sooner than Draco would like. Draco was only told the first step, make a truce with Harry Potter. Everything else was all in Hermione's head and she refused to tell him. Just that the second step would occur within the same day as the first, and that he would know it when the time was right. He wasn't sure Harry would like it in the end.

He wasn't even sure he would like it in the end.

Snape stared at the boy for a minute, before continuing on with his lesson. Most would assume he stared at him with mild disdain, but Draco saw the slight concern in his eyes.

"Today, you will be brewing the memoriae* potion. The potion will create or alter memories, but the batch you will make will only last for a few minutes. Depending on the amount of Unicorn hair you put into it, will determine the amount of time it will last. And do not fool yourselves into thinking you can change any memory you wish to. The memory temporarily changed will be the memory you hold onto the most." He stated, tapping the board with his wand. Medium sized elegant handwriting appeared, line by line, on the board. The ingredients and directions. Draco read over them, nodding to himself as he moved to get the ingredients.

"I'll get them." Harry suddenly murmured, jumping out of his seat. Snape walked by, standing next to Draco as they both watched the smaller male walk away.

"Do let Mr. Potter give potions a try, Mr. Malfoy. He will be brewing the potion, and you will be taking it." His godfather murmured, and Draco felt panicked. He knew which memory would he altered, and now knew the second step. Hermione truly should've been in Slytherin. His eyes raised up from the desk to the Gryffindor female, who looked very satisfied with herself.

-Flashback-

Hermione was pacing the length of the Room of Requirement, her mind racing a like a minute. Everything had to go perfect. It was a nice test to see if Draco was truly in love with Harry, and it was the perfect way to set them up without Harry knowing she was involved. He'll learn about it later, hopefully, but if he knew too soon he'd never forgive either of them. Suddenly everything fell into place in her mind, and she squealed. Draco jumped, as he had fallen asleep watching the girl pace so much.

"Step one, a truce! He'll feel more obligated to help you when you need it!" She almost shouted, and Draco raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine with a truce, but why would I need help?" He asked, feeling slightly worried at the smirk on Hermione's face.

"Because that, my dear Draco, is step two." She replied. Draco wrinkled his nose in confusion, and Hermione thought the action was cute. The male obviously didn't know he did it, otherwise he would actively try to stop it. Slytherins we're not 'cute'.

"What's step two?" He asked, and Hermione chuckled. She shook her head, 'tsk'ing.

"You'll find out on your own in Potions class. Just remember, five tufts." Was all Draco got as an answer.

-EndOfFlashback-

Draco was internally panicking.

Five tufts.

Five tufts of Unicorn Hair. He hadn't even done step one, but step two seemed like a bad idea. Harry came back with all the ingredients much quicker than Draco would've liked, but said nothing. This seemed to put Harry on edge as he waited to be told what to do. Draco attempted to speak multiple times, so many he began to grow embarrassed. With a slight pink flush along his cheeks he hoped no one could see, he cleared his throat to catch Harry's attention.

"Potter, I want a truce." He finally stated bluntly. Harry stared at him blankly, and Draco began to wonder if it had been such a good idea to do this in the middle of class. But step two wouldn't get done if he hadn't.

"Okay." Harry finally replied, and Draco almost sighed in relief.

Almost.

"Good. Now, what do you want me to chop?" He asked, allowing a small smirk to appear on his lips as he pulled the pile of ingredients over to his side of the table. Harry gaped, unsure if this was the real Draco Malfoy in front of him, or if someone had drank polyjuice potion. Draco tilted his head, his smirk growing.

"Well, Potter? Are you going to start or am I going to have to change my mind?" He asked, and Harry quickly scrambled to look at the notes on the board.

"Uh, dice the dragons wings first." He stated, pouring the Liquid Rubies into the heating pot.

 **△⃒⃘** **͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛**

 ***memoriae is Latin for memory. I just wanted it to sound cool.**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter six, woohoo! Okay, so I'm so glad I wrote this almost directly after chapter five because my life has been a little hectic but I was able to post this anyway which I hope you all are happy for. But since this has gotten so many reviews I wanted to say thank you to all of you for reading my story and I really hope you're enjoying this! Without further ado, here is chapter six!_**

 ** _Edit: This chapter has been updated. While I cannot say there are no mistakes, there are definitely fewer than before. A few minor things have been altered in this chapter to make more sense with the entirety of the fanfiction. Thank you for your time!_**

 _ **Disclaimer: Drarry is not cannon, therefore I do not own Harry Potter**_

 _ **—**_

Draco had done everything properly for the potion, and Harry was surprisingly adept at making potions. He hadn't really ever given the Gryffindor a chance at potions, because when Harry paired up with Weasel or Longbottom, the potion was always screwed up. Draco had assumed Harry had been one to blame too during these mix ups. He had apparently assumed too quickly.

"Okay, the color looks good. I think we're done, as long as you've placed in the proper amount of Unicorn hair." Harry stated, satisfied with the deep forest green color and the earthy scent of troll tears in the potion. Harry was very proud of the outcome of this potion, and was very proud that he had had minimal help in doing so. Malfoy had not chided him once.

Draco had been too occupied in watching Harry after each ingredient had been prepared for the potion master, who happened to be Harry for the first time. Draco nodded absentmindedly, not even Harry speaking directly to him bringing out a snide remark. It set Harry on edge, ultimately causing a bit of tension. Draco hadn't noticed it, being too nervous. Everything was riding on this one moment. He waited for Harry to turn his head before placing five tufts of Unicorn hair into the potion. He had no idea how long his memory would be altered, but the original potion called for three strands of hair. Each tuft had about fifty strands. That's two hundred fifty strands total. Harry turned back to Draco, noticing the few strands on top of the potion and mixing them in, stirring five times clockwise. He frowned slightly, and Draco gulped. If he hadn't been so nervous, he probably would've thought about how cute Harry looked as he thought.

"It seems a little dark, but it could just be the lighting." He murmured, and Draco was suddenly thankful for the poor lighting in the potions room and Harry's inexperience of handling potions on his own. Harry ladled the potion into a cup, the dark green swirling as it settled into the glass container. He handed it to Draco, who stared down at the glass for a moment before looking up. He looked around the entire classroom, using it as an excuse to catch Hermione's eye. Once their eyes met, she nodded discreetly. He sighed, and would deny if anyone said it sounded shaky. The drink was so enticing, yet completely terrifying. He quickly downed the drink, wincing at the earthy taste. He could've sworn he was drinking dirt, rather than a dark green potion. The moment the potion registered in his system, his eyelids grew heavy, and he coughed as he felt his throat tighten. Draco'a vision blurred, and the light began to fade from his vision. His eyes landed on Harry before he smiled and passed out, his body relaxing and slipping off of the seat.

 **△⃒⃘** **͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛**

Harry yelped as Draco began to fall, and he caught him instinctively. He had underestimated the weight of the slightly shorter male, and soon fell to the floor with Draco landing on top of him. The entire class seemed to pause at the sudden clatter, even Snape took a moment to react. Snape hurried over to the back of the class where his godson and newly acquainted 'son' were. The class huddled around the two, many people murmuring as they tried to figure out what happened.

"Harry, what happened?" Snape asked sharply, surprising most of the students. Professor Snape had never called Harry by his first name before. Well, not without adding his last name on with it and sneering. Harry fumbled around words before finally spitting a response out. By now, the murmurs were so frequent and so many the crowd began to get louder.

"I-He-I-I- He took the potion, then passed out!" He exclaimed, and immediately regretted being so loud. The male on top of him groaned, shifting slightly causing everyone to shut up. The pale blonde hair brushed across Harry's forearm, and the taller male had a sudden urge to reach out and run his fingers through it. As Harry was lost in thought of Draco's hair, his light grey eyes opened. Draco blinked tiredly, yawning softly before looking up to see whose lap he was on. He was cautious, unsure of the situation he was in. The moment his eyes laid on Harry Potter, a giant grin broke out on his face. This caused the whispering to once again arise, but it seemed not to phase the pale boy.

"Harry!" He shouted, before attacking the dark hair male. Harry fell back in shock, unable to move as the smaller male snuggled into his neck. A bright red blush seemed to form on Harry's cheeks, and he struggled to try and pull the other male off.

"M-Malfoy?" He questioned meekly, panting lightly as he began to give up his attempts of separating from his former enemy. Suddenly, there was no need to fight back, for Draco shot up quickly.

"Malfoy? You haven't called me that in years. Are you alright Harry?" Draco asked, pulling the boy underneath him up so he could look at him. He felt of his forehead, his tongue poking out of the side of his mouth in concentration.

"You look a little flushed, honey..." He murmured, which caused Harry to blush harder. He looked to Snape for help, unsure of what to do. He had expected to see the man still bent next to him, only to find he wasn't there. His eyes searched the crowd before they landed on the tall black figure standing with his back facing the odd couple, he was at their work station. The man turned around, a frown on his face.

"How much unicorn hair was placed into your cauldron?" He asked, and Harry felt his skin grow clammy.

"I-I don't know, sir. Draco had put it in when I had looked up at the board. I-I thought he had the right amount." He stated, feeling miserable. He had assumed Draco had put the correct amount in, as Draco always put the correct amount in. Snape sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Then there is nothing we can do, the potion must wear off. Draco, you're correct. Harry here isn't feeling very well. McGonagall," The sound Snape made as he spoke the Headmistress's name could only be likened to an animal in distress, "wishes to speak with you, though, so I will take Harry here to the hospital wing. Okay?" Snape declared, and Draco frowned.

"But-oh, alright."The blond stated resignedly, glancing back at Harry once more. Longing was evident on his face, along with a hint of worry. The intensity of his eyes had Harry ready to start squirming at any moment. "Harry, please don't refuse any medicine. I know how you are about that, but I want you better. Okay, love?" Draco asked softly, and Harry felt himself melt. It didn't matter that Draco's memory had been altered by a potion and that this was all false. Now was the time to relish in it and enjoy what little time he had with Draco like this. Once the potion wore off, the truce they had made earlier most likely wouldn't mean much, Harry thought.

"Okay, I promise." He replied, smiling softly. Draco grinned and kissed Harry on the cheek, before standing up and helping the darker male up as well. He turned to finally notice the crowd they had assembled, and he scowled.

"What are you all looking at? We've been together for three years, and public for almost two. You'd think you'd get used to it by now." He scoffed, and most looked away. A few were still brave enough to watch Draco in bemusement. He turned to Harry one final time before pausing.

"Harry, why are you wearing those dreaded Gryffindor robes? I understand that Ron and Hermione are our friends, and that's all very well, and I understand that you are concerned with house unity, but honestly darling. I've told you time and time again: you must represent your own house, not to mention green is absolutely perfect to bring out those lovely eyes." He stated, 'tsk'ing. He patted the confused Gryffindor before staring at Snape for a moment.

"Do take care of him, Professor." He murmured, before walking out of the room with a final swish of his robes.

"Well that could've gone better." Harry muttered meekly.

Indeed, he felt sick.

 **△⃒⃘** **͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛**


	7. Chapter 7

_**This is the updated version of this chapter! While I cannot promise there are no grammar mistakes or typos, I can promise this chapter is lengthier and matches the storyline better now. It has not been beta'd, just rewritten in parts. Thank you for reading!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Drarry is not cannon, therefore I do not own Harry Potter**_

* * *

Draco was sitting in McGonagall's office alone, confused and slightly worried for Harry. He was acting so strange earlier, and he couldn't fathom why. It wasn't their anniversary, was it? Draco attempted to think of the day, but he found himself drawing a blank. He had no idea what day it was. His train of thought was broken as McGonagall walked in, a certain air of formality the witch brought with her commanding the type of respect he had never felt for Albus Dumbledore. The old cooch was never good for this school in Draco's opinion. Just the thought of the old man had the blond's eyes flickering toward the portrait hanging just below the sorting hat. He sneered at the imitation of the old headmaster.

"Mr. Malfoy, you are looking well. How are you?" She asked, sitting down across from the pale boy. Draco's foot was tapping lightly, as his patience had never been the best. He was always determined to figure out the answer to something bothering him, but also knew better than to break formality or ruin his pristine reputation when he could wait until a more suitable time, even if he despised waiting. Waiting was a very boring task.

"I'm fine, Professor. And you?" He asked politely, his eyes shifting back to Dumbledore's portrait once more. That damning sparkle seemed to grow in the portrait's eye the longer he looked. Finally the male tore his eyes from the infuriating picture in favor of listening to McGonagall speak.

"I'm well, Mr. Malfoy." She replied evenly, watching the scowling student curiously. He appeared completely normal to her, and was completely baffled that Severus was so adamant in her immediate need to see him. The blond Malfoy heir was just as he always was, the body language of a bored pureblood, his anstiness only given away by the faint tap of his foot as it bounced restlessly and the same restlessness his eyes have when he's nervous or worried. Snape, the fool, made it seem like the boy was a different person.

"What day is it? The date has seemed to slip my mind." Draco finally asked, unable to keep his mouth shut with the agonizing silence between them and his worry increasing each passing moment. McGonagall's eyebrows furrowed momentarily before she soon resumed her passive smile.

"It's the Sixteenth of December, Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall replied slowly, faintly alarmed now. Draco was a very precise individual, and very punctual. He always knew the time and date, so his question brought about enough concern in McGonagall to become intrigued. Perhaps the greasy haired professor had been right this time. Upon hearing the date, the tapping of Draco's shoe became almost inaudible. That was one less thing for him to worry about, considering it wasn't their anniversary. It eased Draco to an extent.

"Why is the day so important, Mr. Malfoy?" Minerva found herself asking, leaning forward in her seat just ever so slightly. She watched the blond as he seemed to contemplate telling her the truth or not. The thought made the corner of her mouth twitch. He was much like his father in his secrecy, now that he was older. And what was it you'd like to speak with me about?" He replied, and Dumbledore smiled knowingly.

"Harry was acting a bit strange today, and I was worried I had forgotten something important."McGonagall's eyebrows shot up to the top of her forehead at Draco's words. In all her years of her knowing the two rivals, she had never known them to call one another by first name to anyone. She kept quiet as the blond continued, attempting to keep her face indifferent to the shocking words coming from the Malfoy heir. "I knew it was December, so I was worried it was our anniversary and I hadn't gotten him anything." The boy explained, and McGonagall nodded slowly. Anniversary? What in Merlin's name is the boy talking about? Is he implying the two are together?

"So I see. Now, what anniversary are you speaking of, Mr. Malfoy? It seems I have not been well informed." McGonagall asked dryly, and Draco raised an eyebrow. Harry hadn't told McGonagall everything? He had assumed his lover was very close to his former head of house.

"Well, professor, we've been together for three years. We came out two years ago though. Dumbledore seemed to be the only one not surprised, but then again that old coot had no reaction other than that damned twinkle in his eye." Draco replied, scowling faintly at the memory of Dumbledore. Just the thought made him want to sneer once more at the portrait he was pointedly not looking at. McGonagall let the information sink in slowly, nodding along as the male spoke. It was obvious now that something was amiss. She would begrudgingly have to admit to Snape he was right. Draco's memory had been altered somehow.

"Ah, Professor?" Draco inquired, seeming uncomfortable with the long pause she had given him. The headmistress smiled faintly at Draco, snapping her fingers twice. The sound was especially loud with the quiet looming between them, but was soon broken by the pop of a house elf making its entrance.

"Diddy is having yous sweet, ma'am." The house elf chirped happily, placing a tray of sweets almost as big as he was in front of the Headmistress.

"Yes, thank you Diddy. Treacle tart, Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall offered, paying the elf no mind as it squealed in delight and popped away once more. Draco by now had forgotten his question he had asked only moments ago, having been unaware of his Headmistress's love for sweets. The tray was absolutely full of them. The witch held one out on a napkin for Draco, but the boy politely declined. Sweets had never been particularly appealing to him.

"Well, I do believe Harry will be waiting for you, Mr. Malfoy. Do try to remeber the days so you can get your Harry something good for your anniversary." McGonagall faintly chided, and Draco perked up at the thought of his lover. The male seemed to lose the tension he had had since the beginning of the conversation at the mention of Harry.

"Thank you Professor. Oh, and do you mind if I take a trip to Hogsmeade sometime this weekend? I have yet to get Harry an anniversary gift, and I only have nine days left." He asked, standing up and dusting his robes off. McGonagall took a bite of the rejected treacle tart, chewing and swallowing before Draco is finished rambling.

"Of course. I do believe Harry has requested the same thing." She replied, a gleam in her eye. "But you are adults, and therefore allowed to go to Hogsmeade any weekend you wish without permission first. Good day, Mr. Malfoy." She replied, taking another bite of her sweet. Draco left the office, completely unaware that McGonagall had never answered why he had been called up to her office in the first place.

Meanwhile, McGonagall was contemplating how best to speak with Severus about this odd behavior without having to admit he was right. The witch sighed, displeased with this turn of events.

⃒⃘ ⃒⃘͛ ⃒⃘͛ ͛

Harry was confused and a little terrified. Snape was explaining to him how long the potion would last, and how he should act with Draco in the meantime. The entire situation was making the Gryffindor feel way in over his head, and he found himself asking Merlin why on earth he had this kind of luck.

"Harry, to mess with a potion this strong is very dangerous. Do try your best not to give away any hints that what he believes to be true is not. Even-" Snape hesitates, and Harry could've sworn he saw a hint of a blush dust along his professor's cheeks. The thought alarmed the brunet, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Even if that means doing immoral things with my godchild." He choked out, and Harry's face went up in flames. He-he expected Harry to go that far?! Sure, Harry was in love with Draco. But Draco's memories weren't real! Draco hated Harry, and he would most certainly hate him forever if he were to take advantage of him like that! Harry groaned. He felt miserable, absolutely miserable. The brunet sighed softly, ignoring his sudden urge to empty the contents of his stomach. Throwing up would do him no good at the moment.

"B-But-" he protested weakly, causing Snape to roll his eyes. The man was obviously growing annoyed with Harry.

"For Merlin's sake, boy! Get over yourself. Have you not realized why this memory of all of Draco's changed? This is how Draco wanted it to be. He loves you as much as you love him." Snape growled, making Harry's eyes grow owlish beneath his rounded framed glasses. The brunet went to speak, but Snape cut him off once more.

"I understand your reluctance to do something like that without Draco's consent, but you need to give him a little bit of something so he won't be suspicious." Snape audibly sighed, running a hand in frustration through his unkempt hair.

"It will take two weeks to make the potion to revert his memory back, and you have to stay with him. There's no doubt he'd want to get physical within those two weeks. We could lie to him with a reason you two can't become physical," Snape grimaced at the word, displeased with the entirety of the situation, "but you're a terrible liar. At least you won't be pretending to love him!" Snape growled, causing Harry to freeze. Just as Snape was finished with his speech, Draco walked in.

"Harry, love! How are you feeling?" He asked, walking over to him swiftly. The boy felt of his forehead, smiling softly as it no longer felt hot. He didn't look flushed either. Draco was unaware of the tension between his godfather and his lover, so when Harry snapped out of his daze to smile softly at Draco, he turned to beam at Snape.

The professor was right about one thing, Harry had no need to pretend to love the male in front of him. He wasn't sure about the rest of Snape's tale about Draco loving him, simply because he was too scared to think about it at the moment.

"I'm fine now, don't worry about me." He replied, smiling reassuringly. Draco leaned in for a kiss, and Harry felt panic beginning to swell in him. Sadly enough, he couldn't say it was from being scared. He was panicking because he wanted this kiss to be perfect. Draco may currently recall their first kiss as something sweet or cute or perfect, but this was Harry's first kiss with Draco. As if sensing Harry's distress, Snape coughed. Draco sighed, turning to face his godfather once more. The blond was obviously irritated, but the Malfoy glare had long become a thing Snape was unaffected by.

"I'm glad to see you here Draco. Narssica owled me today to inform me that you will be staying here for the winter, because she is at home sick. The elves are taking good care of her, but she doesn't want to get you or Harry sick." He stated, and Harry was impressed with the lie. Draco frowned before shrugging.

"Oh alright." The blond huffed. "I had hoped to surprise Harry with a visit to our home in Paris, but Mother has the portkey. I'll owl her and wish her well. Thank you, Uncle Sev." He said, and Snape's mouth twitched at the nickname. He nodded curtly, before exiting the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey smiled at the two, shaking her head.

"Off with you now! Off! Go say goodbye to your friends, and be on your merry way." She shooed them, and Draco laced his fingers with Harry's. Harry flushed lightly, but hoped Draco wouldn't notice. The butterflies in his stomach really felt more like a stampede.

How would he ever get through these two weeks?

Draco began to pull him toward the dungeons, but he paused.

"Wait, M-Draco. I need to go talk to Hermione and Ron first. You can go on down to the dungeons, because it's about something special for you." He stammered, coming up with a lit as quickly as he could. Draco smiled slyly, kissing Harry on the cheek.

"Don't be long love, I'm sure Pansy and Blaise will be eager to tell you goodbye." He replied, slipping his fingers out from Harry's. Harry almost changed his mind as he lost the sweetness of Draco's heat and tangled their fingers back together. But understanding his talk was more important, he simply watched the Slytherin walking away. He smiled at the blonde haired boy, hoping his nerves weren't showing through. He needed a pep talk, and fast.

⃒⃘ ⃒⃘͛ ⃒⃘͛


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! I am back with another chapter for my lovely readers~ I'm glad to read all of the amazing reviews you have for my story, they inspire me to keep going with this story! I have had some doubts with this particular story as it hasn't gone exactly how I had originally planned, but that's the life of a writer. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I know I may make the characters ooc quite a bit, so I'm working toward fixing that. I might even rewrite the other chapters I have posted to fix the issue. Let me know what you think! Thank you all~**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters. I am simply a fan wanting to use the wonderful character in my own little plots and ideas.**

Harry walked to the Gryffindor common room at a hurried pace, his mind racing a mile a minute. Draco's memory would be false for two weeks. Said male believed he and Harry were together. Harry would be forced to play the part he'd been wanting to for years. His stomach churned uncomfortably, as if he was traveling via portkey once more. Even with Voldemort dead, Harry was unable to get a break at Hogwarts. Blimey, he thought he was going to be sick. The brunet had to take a moment of his precious time to lean against a random cool wall of Hogwarts, needing a moment to take in what was occurring around him. The entire day seemed unreal.

After the male finally felt stable enough once more to resume walking, Harry made it to Gryffindor tower with relative ease. Finding his two friends was even easier. Hermione was seated in a lounge chair by the fireplace, while Ron was pacing nervously. Both looked quite anxious as they looked up in the hopes of their friend being the one entering from the portrait. Relief replaced the anxiety upon the Gryffindors' faces, and the two ran to the boy wonder without a second thought.

"Harry! What happened?" Hermione all but shouted, hugging onto her lanky friend tightly. Concern was swirling in her chocolate eyes, not uncommon for Harry to see when he looked into his friend's eyes. Harry blinked owlishly, having not expected to be attacked when he arrived. It wasn't as if he had been gone for a whole day without explanation. He doubted it had even been more than an hour.

"Yeah! What's wrong mate? Malfoy had acted as if you and he were best mates!" Ron added, and Hermione rolled her eyes. The boy truly was thick headed. Harry flushed and stammered, unsure of how to explain everything.

"I, well..." He muttered, and Hermione stopped him before he could stammer anything else out. The poor boy's face was almost as red as Weasley hair.

"How long will Malfoy's memory be changed and which memory was changed?" She asked, surprisingly patient. Knowing how brilliant Hermione was, Harry couldn't find himself too surprised by what she had discovered on her own. Harry glanced at a nearby clock and swore. Their train would be here soon, so he didn't have much time to explain. Everyone else was already scurrying to get out of Gryffindor tower and down to the train stop.

"Draco thinks we're lovers and his memory will be stuck like this for two weeks. He also thinks I was sorted into Slytherin in our first year, and he and I have been friends since. He also thinks you two are his friends as well. I'm spending the Christmas break here with him for what he believes are Dumbledore's orders so nothing can jeopardize his state of mind." Harry rushed out, trying to explain everything quickly. Two of the three Golden Trio members gaped at the third, who was still flushing a bright red. Hermione, once she was over the 'initial shock', smirked. She quickly wiped the smirk off her face, not wanting to give any hints away as to her approval. Not yet, anyway. Ron, however, was furious.

"What?! There's no way in bloody hell I'm letting you stay with that-that... Ferret for two weeks, just because he's gone and screwed a potion up! And since when had is been 'Draco'?!" Ron shouted, causing a few younger years to flinch and scurry off at a quicker pace. He had spit out Draco's name as if it were a sour taste in his mouth, to which Harry found himself frowning. Before the brunet could interject, Hermione scoffed loudly.

"Ron! Don't be daft. Spells are strong, but potions are stronger. To mess with someone under the effects of it could destroy that person, reduce them to nothing but a shell of their former self. No matter how big of a prick... Draco is," Hermione hesitated to say the name, a foreign word to her lips. Ron groaned exasperatedly, his eyes pleading to his friends to have some common sense.

"Not you too, Hermione! I thought we hated the Ferret!" Ron protested, not liking the use of their enemy's first name. Harry frowned, not happy with Ron's reluctance to let go of the past-even in such conditions. He knew there would be lashback, but he didn't think Ron would be this stubborn.

"He still needs that anti-potion before any of us could go back to the way it was before. Until then, we have to go along with his false memories and pretend as if they were real. If you can't manage that Ronald, then you must keep your distance. Petty kid rivalries should not last for a life time, and so it would be fitting for this one to end while we have the chance." She stated sternly, reminding Harry a bit of Ron's mum with the amount of passion she put into her chiding. Ron scowled, obviously not happy with the arrangements but beginning to realize he was on the losing end of a battle. Hermione stared at the red head expectantly, and the trio was quiet for a moment. Harry's heart was beating rapidly, and he had no clue whether his best friend would accept the situation or if they would grow distant once more like fourth year.

"Fine. I'll keep my distance. But I'm not going to like it!" Ron finally grumbled, the sour look never leaving his face. Harry sighed in relief, grinning faintly at Ron. It may not be the answer he wanted, but it was an answer he would gladly take. Hermione had a smug grin across her features, and she nodded approvingly.

"Oh, and did I mention he wanted to say goodbye to you?" Harry added hesitantly, and Ron's mood only soured.

△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛

After parting ways with Ron, Harry and Hermione were walking down the great hall-the former nervous and lightly flushed while the latter was confident and happy as she carried her shrunken luggage. She took a glance at the oblivious Harry next to her ever so often, satisfied to see him looking more alive, more hopeful than he ever had since first year. Hermione was pleased with her plan, very pleased.

As they were walking, a group of three familiar Slytherin's were walking toward them. Only one of which had no luggage. The five eighth year students met in the middle of the hall, which resulted in most students steering clear of them. Usually nothing good came out of a meeting such as this, and a slight tense air was about them. Two Gryffindors, three Slytherins. Something was bound to erupt.

"Harry, where's Ron?" Draco asked, breaking the ice. A faint look of confusion rested on his face, but to any onlookers, the blond looked at haughty as ever. The two Slytherins behind the Malfoy heir raised an eyebrow expectantly for an answer. Harry gulped nervously, and Hermione had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at her dense friend. The tall white-blond haired male was oblivious to the tension, or even the sudden flush of Harry's cheeks at the small smirk one Pansy Parkinson gave him.

"Oh, you know Ron. He's in one of his moods, asked us to tell you goodbye for him." Hermione replied smoothly as she placed a friendly hand onto Harry's shoulder, knowing the wizard next to her had never been good at lying. The poor Gryffindor wore his heart on his sleeve. Draco's eyes snapped to Hermione's hand for a moment before moving up to her eye level. Hermione had easily noticed the warning and discreetly removed her hand as Draco nodded to her excuse. His eyes were much kinder with her hand removed, but still cautious. The intense gaze caused the frizzy haired witch to shuffle nervously. Harry was to relieved that Draco had bought the lie to notice anything was off.

"Well, Gr-Hermione. We should be off, and leave these two love birds alone. I do believe the train will be arrive any minute." Pansy interrupted, and Hermione nodded along thankfully. Blaise nodded as well, the only indication that he had been listening. The dark skinned boy was watching Draco and Harry intently, because Draco had managed to slip behind Harry as their friends were talking. The blond male was obviously much taller than his Gryffindor counterpart, making his position behind Harry seem fitting.

Harry was positively red with embarrassment at the affection Draco was showing him, with his arms draped around his waist and his face in the crook of his neck. He had never known the pureblood boy to be such an affectionate person. Apparently neither have the rest of Draco's friends, because Blaise was almost losing composure of himself with quiet snickers, and Pansy was smirking bemusedly. Draco was far too focused on the male before him to notice or care about his friends' reactions. Hermione watched Harry eventually get comfortable in the embrace, and as such his blush died down a little. She smiled softly, knowing she had done the right thing in deceiving her friends with Draco.

"We'll be off then, you two. Don't do anything we wouldn't do!" Pansy called, gently pulling her friend and the other Gryffindor along toward the door. Harry's face shot up in flames once again, and Draco chuckled into the red male's neck. The sound was like soft velvet, a deep and rich sound that pleased Harry's ears to no end.

"Considering Pansy, then we're in the clear baby." Draco muttered enticingly, and Harry suddenly felt very very trapped. Those may be words he wanted to hear, but not in this situation. Those words simply reminded him of the fantasy he was currently living. His morals were the only thing preventing him from shoving Draco into a nearby broom closet and trapping himself even further. Instead of listening to his thoughts, the shorter and darker skinned male slipped from his enemy's arms and smiled hesitantly, his face beginning to return to normal with more space between him and Draco. But the new space between he and Draco caused the taller male to frown. Harry looked around frantically for an excuse. His eyes settled on a large clock that read 5:45.

"Let's get something to eat, yeah?" He offered, wanting a bit of a distraction. Harry needed to distance himself from Draco before he did something he should, but probably wouldn't, regret. Regret-that was beginning to become a word Harry was growing detached from. He wasn't sure he'd regret anything by the end of these two weeks.

△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛

Hermione made it onto the train with little trouble, and found a slightly happier Ron. He had found an empty cart, and had found the trolley. Ron wasn't the wealthiest of wizards, but he had saved some money back for just an occasion when his sorrows needed to be drowned in sugary goodness. And that's how Hermione found the male, eating a chocolate frog, surrounded by multiple candy wrappers of all sorts-some empty, others still untouched.

"Ronald Weasley, what am I going to do with you?" She muttered to herself, sighing with a smile. The boy was very much like a brother to her. They had tried dating, but quickly discovered they were not meant for one another. Hermione discovered sometime soon after their breakup that her romantic interests lied in her own gender, rather then the opposite. And Ron, well, Ron had begun to take a liking to Luna Lovegood. He spoke with Neville about it after Hermione had talked him into it, and Ron was pleasantly surprised to discover Neville was gay and Luna and he were simply good friends. Ron still had yet to make any advancements with Luna though, despite any encouragements given to him by his friends.

Hermione placed her things in the rack above the seats, and sat down next to Ron. She moved a few empty wrappers, wrinkling her nose at the boy's messiness. She would have to have another talk with him on the matter, but she felt that she had pushed him enough for the day.

The door to the cart suddenly opened as the train began to move, causing both Gryffindor's to look up in alarm. Hermione relaxed at the sight of Pansy and Blaise, but Ron only tensed further, a glare taking place of the happy eyes he once had moments ago.

"We need to talk." Pansy declared, walking in and taking a seat across the two, Blaise following suit.

△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛△⃒⃘ ͛


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9, complete! Sorry for the wait folks, I had a bit of trouble writing this one. Draco and Harry do not interact as much in this one but I promise to make chapter 10 focus on them more. I hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think! Also, tell me your opinion of how far I should go with Ron. Should there be Ron bashing? Or should he wise up and accept whats happening?**

 **PS: This story is so close to reaching 100 followers! I want to thank everyone who has been patient enough to wait for my slow updates and has been here from the beginning. You all mean so much to me and continue to encourage me to keep writing this story!**

 **PPS: Perhaps the next chapter will be updated much sooner than this one was if we hit the 100 followers mark. *shrugs* You never know.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter. All credit for recognizable plots and characters belo** **ngs to her.**

* * *

The train seemed unnaturally quiet to those occupying the cart as the magic from the newly placed silencing charm settled in the air. Although, of course, it was anything but. In any other cart, excited chatter was all around. Prefects had begun their patrolling, ensuring no one was out of their carts now that the train was moving. The four young students were silently assessing one another, no one daring to break the silence. Even Ron had ceased in opening candy wrappers. With a quiet huff, Hermione finally broke the tense silence.

"What do you want?" She inquired, eyeing the two warily. Her history with Slytherin's speaking to her usually meant insults worked in at every other phrase. Pansy huffed back, leaning against the wall and pinching the bridge of her nose. It seemed almost a chore for her to have to explain her presence. The attitude of Parkinson made Hermione scowl, suddenly feeling less enthusiastic about this 'talk'. Pansy gracefully slid onto the seat across from Hermione. Despite Ron already being against the window, the redhead attempted to scoot further from the slyhterin as she made her way closer to him by moving out of the doorway. Hermione thought for a moment he might jump out the window as Blaise followed suit and took the seat by the window, adjacent from the rapidly paling redhead.

"Well, obviously, Draco seems to think we're all good friends." Pansy sneered, her eyes lingering dangerously on the nervous Weasley who resumed stuffing his mouth with various chocolates. Ron was oblivious to the glare he was subjected to, but Hermione was not. It had shocked her into keeping quiet that the glare was not directed at her. She was only a 'mudblood' after all.

"We need to learn a tad bit about each other, if we're ever going to make this believable." The slytherin girl declared, nodding her head as if it would help reaffirm her declaration. "Then again, with the lying skills of Potter, it's very likely we'll come back and Draco will have been ruined by finding out his dream world wasn't real." She grumbled, ignoring the glare the Gryffindors gave her. Hermione didn't like her attitude toward Harry, but reluctantly had to admit to herself Pansy was right about Harry's lying skills, or lack thereof. It was only faintly worrying. She sighed, suddenly feeling very wary of what she had gotten them all in to-a much different feeling than when she had left the couple at Hogwarts.

"Okay, so what do you suggest?" The frizzy haired girl asked tiredly, but she was still wary of the two slytherins. Even if they were no longer on opposite sides of a war, the two had never bothered to be nice to them before. Pansy grinned slyly, which caught even Ron's attention. The redhead stopped eating as he watched the Slytherin girl get up and sit in between the Gryffindors. Ron immediately grabbed his pile of sweets, pulling them with him as he once again attempted to slide back against the wall so he was as far from Pansy as he could be. The action caused even Hermione to roll her eyes.

"I was thinking we should get to know a little about each other on this long train ride, and then continue by sending each other letters over the break. It's not like I want to, but I'm not about to let it be our fault Draco has to spend the rest of his life in St. Mungos." She stated casually, causing Hermione to scowl slightly once more. The brunette knew it was too good to be true to think they might actually want to get to know them. But, it would be beneficial for Draco and Harry. The brunette looked between the two Slytherins thoughtfully. Just as she was about to respond, the cart door slammed open to reveal a very flustered Neville. The boy had yet to notice the cart was full of more than his Gryffindor friends, which could explain why the boy was casually leaning against the door as if he owned the train.

"Hey 'Mione, have you seen my-" The male squeaked as he realized Hermione and Ron weren't alone. Neville's words came to a sudden halt, only incoherent stutters were able to slip past his lips. The moment his eyes landed on Blaise, his cheeks reddened considerably. He stuttered once more for a moment before slamming the cart door back closed, running off without ever finishing his question. Hermione's eyes lit up and she grinned. Blaise, huh? The female snake in a lion's body turned to Pansy, glancing her up and down briefly.

"We'll do it, on one condition." She stated, causing Pansy's eyebrows to raise questioningly. Even Ron looked in her direction in utter confusion and bafflement, a chocolate frog dangling dangerously from his mouth. The charmed chocolate leaped from his mouth, eliciting a splutter from the ginger. Hermione paid her friend no mind as he attempted to catch the frog, seeming all but lost in his own world. If he didn't want to listen to what she had to say, then he would be on his own throughout this ordeal.

While she would never admit it, Pansy was finding that a certain bushy haired Gryffindor was beginning to intrigue her. As the raven haired girl watched Hermione, it was evident they had all written her off as a stupid Mudblood far too quickly. She thought an awful lot like a Slytherin for a Gryffindor.

Hermione glanced at Blaise as she waited for Ron to sit down, who had managed to lose the chocolate frog out of the window he sat next to. The ginger continued to grumble about his misfortune, but was otherwise quite. The dark slytherin was still looking at the cart door blankly, and had blocked out their conversation it seemed.

"Neville has to be included." Hermione declared, catching the attention of Blaise. The dark skinned boy scowled at her, but Pansy grinned widely. A spew of objections came from the only redhead in the room.

"Hermione, why would you agree to something like this? It's perposterous! They're Slytherins!" Ron roared, and looked thoroughly prepared to continue ranting, but one icy glare from Hermione made him think twice. He shut his mouth, huffing and turning to glare out the window.

"I like the way you think, Grang-Hermione." Pansy stated, none of them paying attention to the moody Gryffindor in the room.

"I'll go retrieve him then, and we can get started." The witch replied brightly, a satisfied smile gracing her lips as she opened the compartment door. As the door opened, a sudden wave of chatter entered the cart. It seemed as if the silence from earlier vanished, replaced with the sweet sound of Hogwarts students gossiping and guessing about the anticipation of their Christmas break. Hermione felt the last bit of tension escape from her muscles as the familiarity of the common sounds relaxed her. She began walking through the hallway, glancing within each compartment to find her second guinea pig in her newfound matchmaking business.

As the three remaining within the cart waited for two Gryffindor's to return, Ron ate his sweets angrily, not liking the plan one bit. So what if Draco ended up in St. Mungo's? Good riddance, the ginger thought. The last thing the youngest Weasley boy wanted was to become involved with Slytherins. He peeked a glance at the two purebloods who were now speaking quietly between themselves. Ron strained to listen for their words, but only grew more frustrated as he realized they had placed a silencing charm up. He was baffled Hermione could even think of agreeing to this. Someone must have put something in her pumpkin juice at lunch, he thought sourly. This knowledge was his only comfort as he eyed the two warily once more, anxious for his friend to return. He would talk some since into her the moment he could get her alone.

* * *

Harry had managed to successfully get him and Draco food without any more possible...incidents occurring. He had actually managed to keep his mind away from any form of sexual desire, and had a very fun time with his 'lover' as they ate in the great hall. They had sat at the Gryffindor table on Draco's request, which did not go unnoticed by the few remaining students. Some glanced discreetly, others had the audacity to openly gape. Harry was able to get the odd looks to go away with a few well placed glares.

Draco was really pleasant to be around when he liked you, Harry had discovered quickly. The blond was out of character in the slightest of ways, but still so happily arrogant and sly toward Harry. It was endearing and frustrating all at once. They finished their meal all too quickly for Harry's liking, because Draco's mind returned to attempts to get Harry alone as their empty plates vanished along with the food that had laid before them.

"So, how about we go back to our dorm? No one else is staying on our floor so we can be as loud as you'd like." Draco purred, causing Harry's face to grow red. Before the brunet could start stuttering out an excuse to not make their way to any dorm, he was luckily able to avoid response as he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Harry looked up to find Snape looking down at him with an almost unreadable expression, and he smiled faintly at his professor. Whatever he was here for, Harry was relieved for the distraction.

"McGonagall would like a word with you, Harry." Snape muttered, his eyes resting on Draco's disappointed face as Harry scrambled to get up. The Gryffindor was not very subtle in his eagerness for distance. The action resulted in an almost pouting Draco, and Snape had to physically withhold the sigh threatening to escape his lips.

"Okay, thank you professor. I'll see you soon Draco, I love you." Harry stated, surprising himself at the 'I love you'. It had simply flowed naturally. With only the briefest of hesitance, Harry leaned in to place a chaste kiss to Draco's temple. Draco smirked as he caught Harry's arm and pulled the stunned Gryffindor down for a proper kiss, his mood immediately improving as their lips met. It was the faintest touch, but sent a shock through both participants. Harry pulled away with a dazed look in his eyes and a faint blush crossing his cheeks. Snape smirked at the affect it had on Harry, who now seemed reluctant to leave.

"I love you too Harry. I'll meet you back at our dorm." Draco replied, watching in satisfaction as Harry's figure disappeared from the great hall to talk to their headmaster. With


	10. Chapter 10

**_Chapter 10 is finally complete! This took me longer than anticipated because in reviewing my story to keep what I've written aligned with what I am intending to write, I realized I wanted to incorporate something that I had failed to do when I first began this story. I wrote Dumbledore alive in this fanfiction, and whether it was because of the time gap between my continuation of this fancfic or just a subconscious thing I had done when first writing this, I have decided the fanfiction will better progress with Dumbledore dead. I have an intention for McGonagall, and she is best suited as Headmistress in my eyes for this fic, which warrants Dumbledore's death. I am aware that he is spoken of and interacts with characters in chapters six and seven, but I'm currently in the process of rewriting it with McGonagall in his place. I sincerely hope you can forgive me for the confusion and mixup. Once the chapters have been updated, if you wish to, feel free to go back and reread those chapters. This may even give me the incentive I need to go through old chapters and update them according to my newer writing style and lengthen them a bit more. I hope you all will be patient with me as I work this fanfic out to something I'm more happy with._**

 ** _Also, in consideration of the amazing reviews you all have given me, I've decided to begin replying to them here to answer a few questions and interact with you all a bit more. Since so many reviews have piled up, I think I will only do chapters eight and nine. If you wish me to go back further and respond to them all, just let me know and I will gladly do so, I just don't want to bore any of you with 37 responses in one chapter._**

 ** _fifespice: Thank you! I hope everything's living up to your expectations!_**

 ** _Ilamay: Yes, poor Harry. He will probably end up confused for most of this fanfic 0.0 But he'll end up happy, so it works out. Thank you for reviewing!_**

 ** _Minight51: I'll respond to both of your chapter 8 and 9 reviews on this one! Thank you so much for reading my fanfic! I know I take a while to post sometimes, but I try to post as often as my schedule allows me! And this one would have been up within three days of the last chapter being posted if I hadn't had to decide how to write this one and if I should keep Dumbledore or not, because this fic reached 100 by then! So sorry for keeping you waiting, hopefully I can get chapter 11 up quicker._**

 ** _Mojo the big jojo: You want a third guinea pig, hmm? Tell me who you think I should pair Ron with, I'd love your input. I simply don't know who to pair him with, although I have a few ideas._**

 ** _geekymom: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!_**

 ** _Guest: Thank you so much for this review! I absolutely loved your input. I also enjoy your little theory, but time will tell what has happened with Draco. I think I will end up having Ron as Hermione's third guinea pig couple, but I don't quite know who to pair him with. Theodore Nott could be an option. Or I could always turn Neville/Blaise into an eventual threesome between Blaise/Ron/Neville if that's something readers are interested in. Or he could be paired with Luna, if someone wanted a straight pairing. Let me know what you think!_**

 ** _mysticalgems: Awh thank you, Anna! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and I also hope you've been getting enough rest! p.s. You're seriously awesome too!_**

 ** _Kigen Dawn: Maybe :)_**

 ** _TiredAssMuggle: I'll respond to both of your chapter 8 and 9 reviews on this one response. Thank you for taking time to read my little fanfic! And a I unfortunately don't really have a schedule for my updates because I'm constantly busy. My updates are sporadic but I try to update as soon as I can each time._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter. All credit for recognizable plots and characters belongs to her._**

* * *

Harry Potter, a respectable young wizard, found himself lost in thought for the umpteenth time that day. He ascended the familiar steps to McGonagall's office, the door already ajar for him to enter. He had his suspicions as to why McGonagall wanted to speak with him but that didn't mean he was prepared for it. Harry was shocked the witch had sent Snape of all people to inform him, considering her blatant dislike for the professor. They were often seen trading sly insults when near each other.

The Gryffindor entered the Headmistress's office after knocking on the open door to alert her of his presence. The office was very similar to how Dumbledore had it decorated, with all furniture placed in the same areas. The only thing missing from the dimly lit room were Fawkes and that irritating bowl of candy Dumbledore had been so fond of. Dumbledore's portrait was conveniently located beneath the dormant Sorting Hat, the old man smiling at Harry with that familiar twinkle in his eye. Harry was convinced Dumbledore, dead or not, was fully aware of every dirty little secret he had. The feeling made the brunet wary, disliking the feeling of his old mentor once again meddling in his business even after death.

"Mr. Potter, I'm surprised to see Professor Snape was able to relay my message with proficiency and ease." McGonagall spoke pleasantly, catching Harry's attention and reminding him once again that Dumbledore truly was gone. The headmistress's lips were curled up into a small smile, enhancing the crow's feet framing her eyes full of amusement. Harry couldn't help but grin back. Despite his newfound relationship with the potion's master, the Gryffindor found their little feud amusing. It seemed McGonagall did as well.

"Have a seat, Mr. Potter." The witch offered, her hand gesturing to the chair in front of him lazily. Harry did as told, slumping into the familiar seat. This being his first time within the headmaster's office since Hogwarts was rebuilt from the war, the boy who lived felt a little lost. He doubted he was in trouble, although it couldn't be entirely ruled out of course. Generally Dumbledore would have pulled Harry into his office upon the first day of school, but it seemed McGonagall had not wished to do the same. That one decision left him feeling more normal than he had in years, which was a huge relief. Harry watched curiously as the headmistress began to pilfer through a haphazardly stacked stack of papers. She took several moments before addressing Harry again, leaving the boy to work up his nerves and curiosity until the male was ready to begin squirming in his seat.

"There have been quite a few rumors going around. Now, as I'm sure you know, gossip tends to spread like wildfire among teenagers, Mr. Potter." McGonagall paused to give the teen a pointed look, making Harry blush furiously. He opened his mouth to deny any truth to any statement his former Head of House, but she easily cut him off.

"Fortunately, my talk with Mr. Malfoy earlier today was very enlightening, and Professor Snape was able to clear up everything else regarding you and a certain Draco Malfoy, thanks to his ability to stick his nose where it does not belong when it concerns his students." She stated wryly. Relief flooded through the male as he thanked Merlin for Professor Snape and his inclusion in this matter.

"You and Mr. Malfoy are obviously not in a relationship in this reality, but considering Mr. Malfoy's condition under this potion, you will have to live as such until Professor Snape makes an adequate potion to reverse the affects. Do you accept this, Mr. Potter?" She inquired, lacing her fingers together as she stared at Harry calculatingly. Harry nodded without hesitation, already willing and prepared to help Draco.

"Yes ma'am." He replied steadily, determination laced within his voice. McGonagall smiled once more, nodding in agreement.

"Very well then, Mr. Potter." McGonagall picked up a folded white napkin Harry hadn't noticed before, and delicately fluffed it out.

"Your new room is located on the fourth floor, next to a room I'm sure is familiar to you." She hummed pleasantly, although the look in her eyes and the tight lipped smile she had indicated the Headmisstress was still displeased with the Golden Trio's ability to beat the precautions the teachers had placed to protect the Philosopher's stone as first years. He could have sworn he heard her mutter something about it being Severus's fault before she continued her rant.

"The password is 'memory'. Only you and Mr. Malfoy have the ability to change it, other than I of course. Your and Mr. Malfoy's luggage has already been moved to your new room by the house elves, so do not fret about that. I have also given you a few slytherin uniforms upon the request of Professor Snape, although only he and his hair full of secrets may know why." She continues, her eyes alive with mirth at her insult. It seemed McGonagall enjoys her little rival with the Potions Master. McGonagall let the information sink into Harry for a moment, taking the moment of silence to call upon a house elf, the name unfamiliar to Harry.

"Does this meet your satisfaction, Mr. Potter?" She inquires, one eyebrow raised as she waited for her former student to respond. Not trusting himself to speak coherently after the onslaughtof information, Harry simply chose to nod affirmatively. McGonagall finally smiled, her eyes twinkling much like that of Albus Dumbledore. It made the brunet grin boyishly.

"Good. Good day to you Mr. Potter, do drop in for a cup of tea sometime." McGonagall stated, dismissing Harry with a nod of her head. Harry stood from his seat just as a house elf arrived with a large tray, home to baked goods among a tea pot, tea cup, and sugar. The boy who lived grinned once more. McGonagall may not enjoy candy like Dumbledore, but the witch was very generous with her sugar intake.

"Thank you Professor McGonagall, I may take you up on that offer some time soon." He replied, watching as the woman picked up a treacle tart after moments of trying to decide which dessert to eat. Harry was about to leave the office when McGonagall's cool and controlled voice reached his ears once more.

"Oh, and Mr. Potter?" Harry pivoted in his spot next to the door, giving McGonagall his full attention once more.

"Do tread carefully with Mr. Malfoy's heart. A broken heart is as impossible to fix as a broken mind." She warned, biting into the treacle tart. Harry felt a tight lump form in his throat, the warning doubling the responsibility he felt in his position as fake boyfriend.

Harry left the Headmistress's office just as happy as he had come in, if not more so despite the worry he had felt moments before. If McGonagall can trust him to do this, then he can surely pull it off without breaking Draco in any way. The Gryffindor walked toward the room McGonagall had described, his optimism ebbing the faint nervousness he could feel forming in the pit of his stomach.

The pace of his footsteps faltered until he came to a stop as he remembered Draco's words as he left the dining hall.

 _With only the briefest of hesitance, Harry leaned in to place a chaste kiss to Draco's temple. Draco smirked as he caught Harry's arm and pulled the stunned Gryffindor down for a proper kiss, his mood immediately improving as their lips met. It was the faintest touch, but sent a shock through both participants. Harry pulled away with a dazed look in his eyes and a faint blush crossing his cheeks. Snape smirked at the affect it had on Harry, who now seemed reluctant to leave._

 _"I love you too Harry. I'll meet you back at our dorm." Draco replied, watching in satisfaction as Harry's figure disappeared from the great hall to talk to their headmistress._

Shit, Harry thought. Draco is who knows where in Hogwarts, looking for a room that does not exist. The realization resulted in a loud groan for no one in particular to hear in the barren hallway. The Gryffindor grumbled to himself about the amount of stress this whole incident has caused him as he pulled out the Marauder's Map he thankfully had with him. With a tap of his wand and a whisper of "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Harry's eyes were soon raking over the contents of the map vigorously to find the two active footprints of one Draco Malfoy. Thanks to the years of perfecting his quick scan of the map, the small amount of people left during winter break, and his ability to guess the general area of his fake boyfriend's whereabouts, Harry soon finds the inked footprints he had been looking for.

Harry grins victoriously and mutters the words "Mischief Managed" before pocketing the map once more, his footsteps resounding against the walls with a renewed vigor. He quickly descended three flights of stairs, not even blinking an eye as one began to move the moment he stepped onto the first floor of the castle. He soon found Draco wandering the halls of the dungeon, a faint frown on his face. The blond had yet to notice his boyfriend, and seemed to be concentrating on pacing between two doors of vacant classrooms. Harry couldn't help but admire his fake boyfriend if only for a moment, relishing in the sight of Draco completely relaxed and with his guard down. The sight was rare, and Harry wasn't certain if he had ever seen it with his own eyes before the potion mishap. Draco always seemed tense, a feeling the Gryffindor knew all too well.

Harry finally cleared his throat to interrupt the lost male, who tensed the moment he heard someone. Draco turned to face Harry, the tension leaving him and a small smile replacing it. Harry rolled his eyes but found himself grinning back nonetheless.

"Draco, what _are_ you doing down here?" Harry asked, walking to the male and happily embracing him as the Slytherin pressed against his warmth. The foreign scent of spearmint and lavender invading his senses.

"Did you forget, Potter?" Draco asked teasingly, a hint of condescension entering his voice. "I told you I was going to meet you at our room." The blond pulled away from Harry's embrace to frown at the space between the two classroom doors. Harry raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what Draco's mind had created in regards to their living space.

"I know it was here, but our portrait is gone. What have they done to it, Harry? Is that what Professor McGonagall wanted to talk about?" Draco asked hesitantly, a hint of fear lacing his voice. Harry gently rubbed his calloused thumb across Draco's cheek, his one attempt to soothe the panic he sensed rising in Draco.

"Yes, dear. She called me up to explain that Peeves had set a fire off in our room. They managed to salvage out luggage, but the room was destroyed." Given Draco's look of horror, Harry was beginning to rethink his spontaneous lie. It may have been too much.

"But not to worry!" Harry added hastily, a sheepish grin adorning his face. "They've given us a new room on the fourth floor, with much more privacy, and they've already placed our painting there." He spewed out, his cheeks flushing faintly at the speed of which he talked, wanting to get the words out before Draco had a chance to freak out over the loss of their "old room." Draco contemplated Harry's words, making the brunet nervous as each second ticked away without any further reaction from his fake partner. Finally, Draco sniffed disdainfully.

"This incompetent school needs to get rid of that damned ghost before I do. Show me our new room, imp." Harry grinned, not even able to muster up the willpower to anger from the insulting nickname. The brunet laced his fingers with Draco's, who smiled smugly at the affectionate gesture. Harry found himself rolling his eyes again at the blond's antics, leading the way to their new room.

* * *

Upon reaching their destination, Harry had not expected to deal with the complaints of one Draco Malfoy as the male practically tore apart the decently decorated dorm. It consisted of a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and a full bathroom. The living room was completed with a couch, love seat, television, coffee table, and four book shelves filled to the point of overflowing with novels, poetry, and textbooks on numerous things. It had a warm brown color scheme accented with burgundy and purples, the scheme of a rat of a person, according to Draco.

"Throw that thing out!" Draco screeched, holding a barn owl colored pillow above his head as if he was preparing to launch it at his significant other. The blond was more than serious, perfectly content to argue about the proper placement of such an awful muggle contraption in his dorm, but Harry was nearly splitting his lip to keep from laughing at the picture the blond made with his face reddened and such an innocent pillow hovering over Draco's head as if it were instead a bludger. He couldn't keep from smiling though, resulting in Draco huffing angrily and finally tossing the pillow at Harry. It bounced off him harmlessly, managing to only send his glasses askew on his face and rupturing the male's chuckles.

Harry had managed to talk the blond into keeping the television, if only with the promise of (un)willingly redecorating everything else with Draco.

The kitchen was made up entirely of cool colors, which had thoroughly disgusted Draco as well. Apparently the atmosphere of a kitchen influences the taste and experience of the food, or something along those lines. And the bedroom, great Merlin don't get Draco started on the bedroom.

"A couple's bedroom should be full of passion and love." The blond declared as he promptly vanished the gray bed sheets, ignoring Harry's exasperated sigh. " This," Draco tsked, looking at the dull creme colored walls, "This is the bedroom of a hospice patient." He declared, and Harry briefly wondered how the wizard knew a muggle term, much less used it, before he was dragged to the bathroom for inspection.

"Draco," Harry whined, "How are we going to sleep tonight without bed sheets?"

Draco snorted as he looked around at the bathroom. If possible, the the decorations within the bathroom were even grayer than the comforter and sheets Draco had vanished from the bed. His fake boyfriend looked utterly disgusted.

"We're going to Hogsmeade." The blond declared, eliciting another groan from Harry. The last thing Harry needed to do was listen to the onslaught of questions the press would have for them if they were seen out together as a couple. This, Harry decided, was going to be the longest two weeks of his life.

"Harry? What are you waiting for? Grab your coat and let's go!" Draco shouted impatiently from the bedroom, snapping Harry out of his self pity. The brunet grumbled unhappily to himself, but did as asked nonetheless.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Chapter 11! This one is very much late, because it took me a while to write this one. I just struggled to write it exactly how I wanted it to be. I'm sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy! Thank you so much to all who reviewed! I'll respond to your reviews on the next chapter, I wanted to go ahead and get this one up for you all!_**

* * *

Harry had always loved the winter season. Not only had it meant a break from gardening for his Aunt Petunia, but it meant baking all of his favorite sweets. While he had rarely been given the chance to eat them abundantly, he would always get the first bite of something to prove the food was adequately prepared and had no poison added to the many ingredients. He would always relish that one bite, no matter how small.

The snow was a cold comfort to the boy, a reminder of his state of living and an absolute beauty to look at. The snow frequently made him think of Hedwig though, which he had to admit was rather bittersweet. He still hadn't been able to replace the bird, viewing her as too special to truly be replaced.

The two students bounded out and into the snow, looking to all the world like a couple. And to Draco, they were. Harry could feel his nerves growing unhinged the closer they got to Hogsmeade. Draco had noticed quicker than Harry thought he would, and the pale Slytherin began murmuring sweet nothing's into his ear. The other male's words, coupled with the fleeting touches Draco insisted on giving Harry's torso beneath his layered clothing, caused Harry to realize was no longer nervous to be out in public with Draco. No, he was nervous he would do something inappropriate in public with Draco. The male had obviously not intended on arousing Harry, but the brunet couldn't help but feel an overwhelming passion toward his fake boyfriend as the blond distracted him with kind words and sweet touches. No one had ever gone to such lengths before to distract him from his paranoia of publicity.

Soon enough, the couple was inside Gladrags Wizardwear, where they had a new line of dormitory items for sale. Anything you could possibly want was available, and was such a highlight for the store that Harry nearly forgot it was a clothing store first and foremost. Bedding, paint, cushions, anything a student could possibly want to decorate a dorm was lined on every inch of the front of the store. Many colors were available, but common themes related to the school houses could be seen. The brunet watched as Draco glided to the new section, simply oozing with confidence. Harry smirked at the sight. A potion mishap could make Draco Malfoy seem in love with Harry, but no potion strong enough could ever take the Malfoy out of Draco.

"Harry! Come look at this comforter." Draco ordered, not bothering to look back to see if Harry obliged. Harry sighed, but the smile never left his face. He was already wrapped around Draco's finger.

"Pompous git." Harry muttered affectionately, making his way toward the blond who was too entranced by decor to hear him.

Harry looked about at all the things available for sale as Draco chatted away. The blond already had a design in mind for each room, and Harry learned quickly that his input would rarely be taken seriously. The brunet was ultimately happy to simply follow his fake boyfriend and pay for whatever the blond thought they needed. They hopped from store to store in Hogsmeade, despite having bought the majority of the things they needed for their dorm. They ended up at The Three Broomsticks just as the sun began to set, and thankfully had no run-ins with any pesky paparazzi. The couple was relaxing in a private booth Harry had requested, bags taking up one side of the booth while Draco and Harry took up another.

Draco was attached to Harry at the hip, his hand taking its place at the small of Harry's back as they enjoyed a cup of butterbeer. Harry's tanned skin appeared flushed under the dim lighting, while Draco's glowed pleasantly. Harry could almost liken it to a porcelain doll's skin. Harry was laughing quietly at something Draco had said as they were people watching. Draco smirked as he turned to watch his boyfriend laugh, the man's face lit up with pure joy each time he laughed. It was a rare sight, one to be cherished and remembered with detail.

Harry turned to Draco with a large smile, making the blond's heart skip a beat. Harry was gorgeous, especially without so much worry etched into his face. The war had aged Harry so quickly that Draco worried it wasn't reversible, but the wizard proved to bounce back time and time again. Now that he was free of those chains, Harry had never looked younger.

"Draco? Baby?" Harry questioned hesitantly, bringing Draco back from his thoughts. The blond blinked at the worry that coated Harry's voice thickly. He looked back at his boyfriend, his frown mirroring the one Harry now wore.

"You stopped smiling." Draco pointed out, running his thumb along Harry's plump bottom lip. Harry's tongue followed the touch hesitantly, the thumb leaving a tingling feeling along his lip. His tongue returned to his mouth before it could touch Draco's thumb, and the brunet suddenly felt irrationally nervous.

"You were staring at me oddly. I got worried." Harry muttered, keeping his voice low to prevent any emotions from slipping into the meaning of the words. He had feared for a moment that something around them had triggered something in Draco's memories. A large part of him had immediately panicked, thinking his time with Draco had ended.

Draco couldn't help but flush at the comment. Despite their relationship having progressed for years, the blond was still always shocked when Harry worried about him. No one worried for him except his mother for years, until Harry came into his life.

"Let's go back to Hogwarts, Dray." Harry murmured, lacing his fingers with the taller male's. Draco stared at their intertwined fingers momentarily before nodding in agreement. Harry called a random House Elf employed at Hogwarts to the Three Broomsticks, and the small creature happily vanished their multitude of bags back to their new dorm. This left the fake couple to simply enjoy their walk back in comfort, the silence around them like a warm blanket. Harry's bright green eyes never left Draco's rosy complexion on their walk back. This Christmas would be the greatest yet for Harry, it would seem.

* * *

Draco Malfoy was dedicated, Harry would give him that. The blond not only redecorated the bedroom, but every room within the dorm before bed. Harry was left to entertain himself as the blond worked his magic, Draco deeming his lover too 'clumsy and brutish' for this kind of work. The entire dorm looked different when Harry finally took a look at the finished product. Draco had complained in his ear to pull his eyes from the television for half of an episode and the entirety of a commercial before Harry had been kind enough to take a look. And when he did, his pretend lover certainly did not disappoint. The walls had been magically recolored, the new accents placed in the perfect place, and even the furniture Draco had disliked had been replaced with new, much nicer pieces.

"Wow, this is amazing Dray." Harry murmured, smiling softly. Draco's cheeks were flushed, most likely from the depletion of his magic, but the blond smirked confidently nonetheless.

"Of course it is." He replied smugly, allowing himself to gracefully land on their newly decorated bed. The dark red comforter enhanced Draco's milky skin perfectly, Harry noted as his eyes raked over his exhausted fake boyfriend. Draco's eyes slipped closed as the male sighed softly, his lips turned upward in the hint of a smile. The blond looked tired.

"We should go to bed, love." Harry offered, placing himself next to his fake lover so he could run his fingers through the unusually messy blond locks. This comment coaxed Draco's eyes back open, the icy gray eyes settling on Harry with a darker intent. Draco smirked, catching the brunet off guard and causing him to flush.

"Bed, right." Draco drawled, something in his voice eliciting a shiver from his partner.

"I might be tired, but I still have something I want before the night is through." Draco murmured, pushing Harry down until he was laying on the bed. Draco straddled his waist smoothly, resting his bottom firmly on Harry. The brunet had to stop his reaction from being too strong, not wanting to encourage the blond in his obvious intention. Draco leaned down to nuzzle the brunet's neck, placing open mouthed kisses along the tanned skin he found there. Harry couldn't suppress the shudder that raked his body at the contact.

"D-Draco," Harry moaned, pressing against the blond's chest in a futile attempt to push him off. Draco continued his advances, snaking his hands up Harry's shirt, his nimble fingers brushing along the tanned skin. A shudder raked through Harry's figure, causing his arms to go lax. Draco took the opportunity to lean in and kiss the male beneath him. The kiss was loving and hot and passionate, overwhelming Harry until he was certain he had become a moaning pile of goo.

The fake couple became encaptured in themselves, pieces of clothing finding their way onto the newly made bed faster than could be registered. Draco's hands were everywhere and nowhere all the same, his touches light and lustful. The pale fingers ignited a fire in Harry, dragging out quiet gasps from the golden boy. It wasn't until he felt Draco's tongue drag across a pert nipple that he remembered what he had been doing. He had been trying to stop Draco, not encourage him.

"Stop!" He cried out, pushing Draco off in a rush of adrenaline. The blond blinked in surprise, staring at his boyfriend in shock. In mere seconds, the surprise turned to hurt, then to anger. Harry felt guilty, but he couldn't distinguish how much was from stopping Draco and how much was from letting Draco get that far to begin with. Draco's tie was dangerously close to falling to the floor from its place on the bed while Draco's button up was opened haphazardly, his milky skin visible for Harry's eyes to roam. He pointedly looked away from the Slytherin as he began to pace across the carpeted floor.

"What the hell is up with you lately, Harry?" Draco growled, his hands pushing through his hair in frustration. The act was very rare for Draco, as he always fussed with his hair, but the blond was worried about his lover. He simply wasn't acting normal. "One minute you're as sweet as ever, the next it feels like I disgust you."

Draco abruptly stopped pacing, pulling Harry's attention from his lap to the worried man before him. His heart twisted painfully, and he desperately wanted to reassure Draco that he was loved by him.

"Is it because I took the dark mark? Have you realized how tainted I am?" He asked, his eyes glossing over even as his body language froze up. Harry jumped from the bed toward Draco, the rush of cool air reminding him of his bare torso.

"Dray, that's ridiculous. I love you, you're not tainted. The mark is nothing more than a mark now." Harry protested, wrapping a hand around Draco's arm. The blond shook his touch off.

"Voldemort is gone." Draco winced, the spoken name stiffening him up further. "I love you, Draco. Dark mark and all. You were a spy for us, not a follower of him."

Draco whipped around toward Harry, invading his personal space in the blink of an eye. His eyes held a whirlpool of emotions, confusion front and foremost.

"Then what? Why won't you touch me? I've been patient, I've tried letting you say when you're ready but this has never happened before!" Draco exclaimed in exasperation, pushing against Harry's bare skin on each punctuated word. "Why, all this started with you after you went to speak with Uncle Se-"

Draco's eyes widened, while Harry started at him dumbfounded. Confusion, hurt, and anger flushed out of Draco's posture almost immediately, replaced with cautious excitement.

"Did he make it? Did you take it? Is it safe?" Draco inquired, looking Harry over with a new rigor.

"Woah, calm down Dray. Remind me what you're talking about." Harry stated, placing a hand on each of Draco's shoulders. Draco didn't shove him off this time, a small pout forming on his lips.

"The potion we asked Sev to make. Obviously a maternal potion is very rare and dangerous, so we went to Uncle Sev. Did he get you to take it? Is that why you won't be intimate?" Draco asked, throwing a lot of information into his lover casually. Harry processed it as quickly as he could.

Draco's brain had substituted a false memory to explain his lack of putting out. And it came up with a maternal potion, so he could have children with him. The thought oddly enough made him warm, but also alarmed. Maternal potions were very dangerous if not handled properly.

"Yeah, Dray. I drank it." Harry replied softly, smiling at the Slytherin. Draco smirked, leaning up to kiss his boyfriend softly.

"You could have just told me. Besides, this doesn't have to halt our sex life. I can bottom, love." He murmured against his lips, his hands roaming Harry's tanned skin once again. Harry groaned, using his grip on Draco's shoulders and pushing him out to arms length. Draco frowned, a pout once more on his gorgeous lips. The sight almost made Harry change his mind.

"No, Dray. Severus strictly told me we could do nothing while this potion is in effect. I'm not risking anything, you know how fickle magic can be. This was a trial run to see how it would effect me." He chided, which in turn caused Draco to roll his eyes.

"Fine. How long must I wait?" He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed to listen to Harry speak.

"Two weeks." Harry replied, his chest tightening as he reminded himself that no intimacy would really occur after those two weeks were up. Draco sighed dramatically before standing back up. Harry's eyebrows rose in confusion as Draco began walking toward their bathroom.

"Dray, where are you going?"

Draco turned in the door frame to look back at his boyfriend, a smirk placed firmly, his eyes glittering with mischief.

"I need a shower." Was his only response, and Harry watched with darkened eyes as the door was left cracked open. He sat on the bed, breathing in deeply as the water turned on.


End file.
